Governor Daniels set a goal for Indiana’s economic revitalization, and it is quickly becoming a reality. For the last several weeks, many of your Henry County neighbors have been hard at work to determine how you can take part in future economic opportunities.

Henry County has just completed the Agricultural Economic Development Initiative, a program that gives counties and regions the tools to incorporate agriculture into their economic development plans. AEDI brings together non-traditional partners such as city planners, farmers, economic development leaders, local elected officials and agribusinesses to collaborate on your county’s strengths and weaknesses to find opportunities in food and agricultural economic development.

Food, farm and forestry products contribute more than $25 billion to Indiana’s economy each year. More than 16 percent of Hoosiers work in the food, farm and forestry industries. In East Central Indiana, farm and agricultural-related sales total nearly $1.2 million and the industry employs more than 11,900 people. We want to help Henry County add to those numbers.

I want to compliment the Henry County AEDI team for identifying priorities for agriculture and developing action steps to achieve those priorities. The group is now beginning to integrate these plans into even broader economic development efforts. If you want to participate in these important plans for agriculture in Henry County, please contact Bryan Coats, Henry County Economic Development Corporation at 765-521-7402 or Greg Bohlander, Indiana Farm Bureau Inc. at 765-552-2860.

Working together we can make our state’s economy healthy and strong, one community at a time.

This is written to publicly thank the Charles A. Beard Memorial School Corporation’s superintendent, Mr. David McGuire, principals and our school board for taking proper action on the potentially dangerous threats in the movie made by students attending our high school. Our citizens should be so grateful to them for guarding the safety of the school community. Just think of the responsibility they carry.

When the DVD was viewed by our family, our first thoughts were of the Columbine massacre. Remember, those students made their plans at home but carried them out at their school. We not only feared for the lives of my son-in-law and daughter, who were killed in the movie, but for the lives of those who work at the school and for the students who attend there. The actors also boasted of continually harassing a female teacher causing her to leave her position. I wondered, when I watched the movie, what their parents would think if they knew their offspring had such diabolic thoughts and produced them in such a violent, obscene and degrading movie. It was not only disrespectful of school personnel, but of their family members as well. It didn't take long to find that their parents seemed quiet pleased and were willing to go to court to make sure their offspring received no punishment for their deeds.

My hope is that the actions of these young men and their parents have not deterred our school officials and school board from standing firm for what is right in protecting the students and faculty whenever necessary. Know there are people who still resect authority and teach their children likewise.